


Together, Let's Breathe

by iktwabrokenbone (apiculteur)



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Break Up, Drunken Confessions, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pining, Touring, tyler is a lightweight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 16:22:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1947969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apiculteur/pseuds/iktwabrokenbone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Debby and Josh break up, and it's getting really hard for Tyler to ignore his feelings for Josh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together, Let's Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> i was looking for slashfic prompts and saw in vino veritas/drunkfic and decided to do that then started writing this and it had nothing to do with the prompt but yeah i managed to actually make it relevant to the prompt, with added pining.
> 
> (also, wow, two works in two days. congrats. maybe people would care more if they were actually in the same fandom.)

Tyler was gay. It wasn't a new discovery, or one he had ever been very bothered about- he wished the same could be said for some of his high school 'friends' and classmates- so he never really saw the need to tell anyone. Straight people didn't go around saying, "Hey, I'm straight!" and he didn't see why he should.

He had known Josh for years, and he'd never really mentioned it to him; any relationships he'd had were unremarkable, and short lived. That was what tended to happen, what with him constantly moving from place to place. Most of his boyfriends had gotten tired of it after a month or two. He wasn't even sure if Josh knew, had realised that, if he ever hooked up and came back late, it was the scent of a foreign cologne he carried, not perfume.

Usually, he kind of _forgot_ he was gay; it was just another descriptor that people who knew his preferences liked to slap on him.

He didn't know how to feel about the fact that he remembered every time he looked at Josh, caught himself staring a little bit too long at the crinkles around his eyes when he smiled, or his bare chest when he removed his shirt half way through a show. He didn't know how he should feel, and so he ignored it as much as he could.

Anyway, Josh was dating Debby, and he always looked so _happy_ when they were together, so _in love_ with her. So he pretended it was what all friends felt when they looked at each other. And, for the most part, it worked. Because Debby was there, or Josh was talking about her, or cameras were pointed at them, or _something_ to remind him Josh was off limits, so he managed.

But then, Josh and Debby broke up. They were back in Ohio for a week, and Tyler was in his apartment, lounging around and watching the original Star Trek movies, up to the Search for Spock, when Josh texted him.

_can i come over_

Tyler didn't know why he'd texted- he had a key to Tyler's apartment, and usually just dropped in- but he replied anyway.

_sure im watching star trek and theres junk food_

Josh didn't text back, but he walked into the apartment a few minutes later, and hesitated a second before sitting down next to Tyler. Tyler had the volume on the TV turned low, and he could hear Josh breathing a bit too heavy- the kind of heavy where you know they're trying to breathe steady and normal, but not quite managing.

Tyler turned towards him. His jaw was set too firmly and he didn't look very aware of what was on the screen. Tyler nudged him gently. "Hey," he murmured, just loud enough to be heard over the sound of Uhura telling someone to get in a cupboard.

Josh inhaled deeply. "Debby broke up with me," he said, voice sounding strained, trying so hard not to break.

Tyler didn't know what to do. Josh looked so tense and hurt and helpless and Tyler didn't know what to do. They'd known each other for years, but this had never happened. Tentatively, Tyler put a hand around his shoulder, pulled him closer to cuddle into him. Josh collapsed against his side, and Tyler felt like he'd done something right.

Trying to keep movement to a minimum, he picked up the bag of Reece's Pieces from the coffee table beside him. He held them up to Josh, and Josh one out of the bag, eating it mechanically. Tyler could feel his shoulder getting wet where Josh's head was resting on it, but he pretended not to notice.

At some point, Josh's breathing evened out, and his body became limp. Tyler didn't want to move, so he stayed there until he fell asleep, too.

***

Tyler woke up when Josh shifted around on the couch, groggily rubbing his eyes and figuring out where he was. It was a few seconds before Tyler saw the change in his expression, a signal that he had remembered.

Tyler cracked his back and neck, trying to rid his body of its stiffness, and watched as Josh mumbled something incoherent before heading towards the bathroom. Tyler stayed sat where he was, waiting for Josh to return so he could brush his teeth. He ate some junk food and finished off the can of lukewarm coke, trying to think of what to say.

Josh and Debby had been dating for about a year, and she was undeniably one of the best things to happen to Josh; she made him happy, and Tyler was pretty sure Josh had just kind of assumed they wouldn't stop dating. Tyler hadn't ever really thought what would happen if they broke up, either.

Josh walked back into the room. "Bathroom's free," he said, before walking into the kitchen.

Tyler watched, resolving to talk with Josh about it after showering and generally making himself less disgusting.

About ten minutes later, he grabbed a bowl of Lucky Charms and sat down opposite to Josh. He waited until he was halfway through his cereal before he spoke. "So. Do you wanna... talk about it?" he asked, not wanting to force him into it, but also really curious about what had happened, and upset for his friend. He may have been _slightly_ jealous of the relationship between Josh and Debby, but he didn't like seeing him hurt.

Josh sighed, using his spoon to pick the last Lucky Charm out of his bowl, eating it before letting the spoon clatter back into the china bowl. "No. Yes. I don't know." There was another heavy exhale of breath, and Tyler waited silently. "Yeah. I mean, I thought it was going fine. But she just- she said it wasn't working out. She wasn't that interested in me. She thought we'd be better as friends. I don't know."

Tyler bumped his knee against Josh's. "I'm sorry, man," he murmured.

Josh shrugged. "Wasn't your fault."

"I know. I just... wish it hadn't happened." _You don't deserve to be sad._

"Me too."

***

It was harder now, not staring at Josh. He was over Debby- it had been a few months now since Josh had came into his house and cried on his shoulder, and now Josh and Debby had a very tentative friendship. They were getting closer again, but there was a very clear line they were both obviously aware of, one separating 'just friends' and 'more than friends'.

Since they'd broken up, there was one less thing to berate himself about when he caught himself staring or indulging in absent thoughts of what it'd be like to hold Josh's hand, to say 'yes, we're dating' when an interviewer asked them about their relationship. He could no longer remind himself that _Josh has a girlfriend_ or _he's probably straight_ , and it was really fricking difficult to stop himself from acting like an idiot around Josh, but they were best friends, so he tried his damnedest.

They were on tour now, so there was hardly a minute alone. They were almost always practising, or doing shows, or interviews, or working on new music. And the tour bus was far too cramped to ever get away from people, really. Which, whilst he enjoyed being around his friends, became a bit too much after a while.

Not least of all because it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore how his feelings for Josh were no longer purely platonic. Of course, there was still an overwhelming friendship between the two, but now Tyler would just... _really_ like to kiss Josh. No sense in denying it.

Tyler ran his hands through his hair, and tried to tune himself into what was happening. Mark was saying something about a party in the Fall Out Boy van. "You coming?" he asked, looking towards Tyler.

"Nah, bro. I think I'll sit out on this one," he said. Mark nodded understandingly.

"You, Josh?"

"I'll stay with Tyler. Don't want him getting all lonely," he joked, throwing an arm around Tyler and pulling him into a sort of hug.

"You're both old men, already. Us wild teens will go partying now. See ya." Tyler and Josh returned the goodbye as everyone else left the van.

Once they'd all left, it was just the two of them now. "D'you wanna drink, Ty?" Josh asked, grabbing a canned beer from the fridge.

"Sure. We don't have any shows tomorrow; let's get drunk," he replied, only half joking. Josh seemed to get it, and threw him a can of beer.

Tyler caught it, cracked it open and took a swig. Josh sat down next to him, following Tyler's lead. They spoke and drank, and Tyler, being a lightweight, was feeling tipsy after half an hour, and drunk not so long after the hour mark. Josh wasn't drinking quite so religiously, and required a few more beers to actually get drunk, so he was still relatively sober.

"Josh?" Tyler said, slightly slurred, and very happy. He was pretty much himself when he was drunk, just less coordinated, happier, and a fair bit more honest. "You're real pretty, y'know that? You smile real nice. I like you, bro. We're buds. We are buds, right?"

Josh laughed a bit, eyes crinkling in a grin. "Yeah, we're buds, Ty."

Tyler smiled along with him. "You're smile is so _great_. Wow. I'd kinda like to kiss you sometimes."

Josh sputtered a bit, still laughing, but cautiously so. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. You've got nice lips, y'know that?" he asked.

"God, you're such a lightweight. You must be so drunk," Josh said, under his breath as though he was talking to himself more than Tyler.

"'M not that drunk. Just... a bit. You _are_ pretty. I'd date you if you weren't straight."

"I'm not straight, Ty. I'm bi. And don't I get any say in whether or not I date you?" he joked, as though what he was saying wasn't a revolutionary discovery.

"I- yeah, you'd get a say. And, like, out of curiosity, what would you say?"

"I think I'd rather wait 'til you're sober before I tell you if I'd date you. Y'know, just to see if you genuinely do want to date me," Josh said. Tyler nodded dumbly. He could only take on so much new information at once before he resorted to just nodding.

Josh laughed. "You look tired, Ty. D'you wanna go to sleep?"

"Yeah. Sleep sounds good."

Josh helped him get into his bunk, with only minimal amounts of cranial damage. He was pretty sure he fell asleep almost instantly, between the beer and the touring.

***

He woke up with a headache, feeling groggier than usual. He hadn't been that drunk- certainly hardly drunk enough to warrant the things he'd said- so his hangover wasn't so bad, and the memories were only slightly blurred by the alcohol.

He went to the bathroom to wash his face, then got a drink of water and an aspirin. Josh was already awake, sitting down without doing much. Mark and the others must have still been asleep. "Hey," Tyler greeted, probably still sounding only half-conscious, even after splashing his face with cold water.

"Hey."

Tyler grabbed a pop tart, because Josh had left the box out and it was easy to reach, then sat beside his friend on the couch.

"So... you think I'm pretty?" Josh asked.

Tyler hoped to god he wasn't blushing when he replied. "I- yeah."

"I gotta say, I am pretty irresistible."

Tyler made a unconvinced sound, and smiled when Josh shoved him. This was going well. This was just like they usually acted. He could do this.

Josh mentioned it before he did. "You remember what you said to me yesterday, right? About if I wasn't straight?"

"Yeah. And you said you'd tell me if I still meant it when I'm sober. Which I do. If you want that. But it's fine if you don't." It felt as though all of the tiny workers in his head who usually told him what to say and when to say it were just skipping around aimlessly, ignoring his cries for help. Talking was hard sometimes.

"I do. Want to date you," Josh said, and, wow, it was like a marriage or something if you squinted quite hard. If it was a wedding they should kiss, right? Tyler sort of half leaned in, enough for Josh to ignore if he wanted to.

Josh didn't ignore it. He closed the distance, one hand pressing against the back of Tyler's head to bring him closer. Josh's lips were soft, and he imagined that, if he'd ever kissed a girl, they'd be closer to that than any of the guys he'd kissed. In any case, it was the best kiss he'd ever had.

God, he was kissing _Josh Dun_ , his best friend.

The kiss ended sooner than he would've liked, and he tried to hold in the tiny whimper as Josh pulled away. From the smile on his face, Tyler couldn't tell if he'd just really enjoyed the kiss or if he was laughing at the noise Tyler might've made.

"People will be waking up soon," Josh said, to explain why he'd pulled away so quickly.

"Yeah."

Josh laughed, and Tyler loved being able to stare openly at him as he did so. This was great. He couldn't wait to see what Mark's reaction to this would be.

He kissed Josh again, because Josh was his boyfriend, so he could do that now. At that moment, he was really pleased that he was both a lightweight and an honest drunk.

**Author's Note:**

> first work in this fandom please be gentle with me im a delicate soul. comments and kudos would be appreciated.


End file.
